Confessions of a Shopaholic, 2009
Book: Becky Bloomwood is a serious shopaholic…in serious debt. She really wants to get her life in order, but she also really wants that expensive scarf.
Movie: We're sorry, Isla Fisher. You were great in the role and we know this isn't your fault. But the thing is, Becky Bloomwood is British. And so much of what makes her, well, her…is because she's a Brit.
Verdict: Book it! Transplanting the character and the movie to America shouldn't be that big a deal, except there's something about Brit chick lit that works better if it remains British. It could be the humor, the exasperating but lovable heroine, or her crazy antics. Or maybe it's the accent.
Harry Potter series, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009
Books: J.K. Rowling's novels about a scrawny, average, nothing-special boy whose life is turned around when he discovers he's a powerful wizard brought magic back into the lives of children (and adults) across the globe…and the world was never the same again.
Movies: The series had a clunky start with the first two Columbus-directed movies but picked up after Cuaron took on Azkaban. Although the movies are magical, they never quite capture the sense of wonder that Rowling weaved into her novels. The last book will be split into two movies and will be out in 2010 and 2011.
Verdict: Even with blockbuster receipts in the billions, you just can't beat the fact that the books made children all over the world read again. Now that's real magic.
SPOT.ph wants to know: What's your favorite book-turned-movie?
Photos courtesy of (The Da Vinci Code) Columbia Pictures, (Twilight) Summit Entertainment, (Pride and Prejudice) Focus Features, (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) New Line Cinema, (Bridget Jones' Diary) Miramax/Universal, (Stardust) Paramount Pictures, (The Notebook) New Line Cinema, (Marley and Me) 20th Century Fox, (Confessions of a Shopaholic) Touchstone Pictures, (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) Warner Bros.
